Fisheries Committee on Oct. 7th, 2024

[Adam Burns]

In terms of the specific length in any given year, I can ask my colleague to speak about that, but I can tell you it was primarily a summer fishery.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

How many weeks or months was it?

[Adam Burns]

I'll turn to Mr. McGillivray, who would have the specific details, year by year.

[William McGillivray]

I don't have the specific dates in front of me, but I would say it's about 11 to 15 weeks, which is a normal fishery season for the inshore.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

What would the normal closing date be?

[William McGillivray]

This year, it was in November. It depends on 2J and 3KL. Usually, when it comes to be late October or November, weather comes into play. There's a lot less activity on the water. Few are left to fish the remaining fish.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

The closure was announced on September 27 of this year. The closure was on September 29, instead of November 16—almost two months prior to the potential planned closure.

Would you say this is adding to year-round employment, or is it counter to the minister's objectives?

[Adam Burns]

The offshore conservation harvest plan is just being finalized, or perhaps was finalized today. We're in that time zone. In addition to that, the two indigenous allocations and the special allocation for the NunatuKavut Community Council remain available, as well. Therefore, while the inshore fishery has closed—

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

That's not answering my question.

Is the almost two-months-shorter season reaching the goal of providing year-round employment? As you stated, it was one of the key pieces in the minister's decision.

[Adam Burns]

It is typical for the inshore sector to complete in this time frame into November.

What will be able to occur this year is the offshore quota and—

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

This time frame is now mid-October. This was shut down in late September. That's weeks earlier than mid-October. It's certainly not year-round employment for the harvesters or, probably, for the plant workers.

[Adam Burns]

We anticipate that the offshore sector will begin fishing in the near term, as well as the potential for those indigenous and special allocations to be harvested over the coming weeks and months.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

It's been anecdotally stated that the offshore sector could be completed in as little as two weeks with the catch rates and the potential of some of these harvesters. How does that add to year-round employment through this fishery?

[Adam Burns]

By having the offshore sector able to harvest quota, there will be the availability of fish at other points in the year. For example, in the winter months, the offshore sector would be able to harvest.

I know they'll be looking at their harvest plans and determining when it is most appropriate to make those efforts. Obviously, it's been a long time since they've been in these areas, so there will be a certain amount of learning they will need to undertake over the coming weeks and months in order to maximize those benefits.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

I want to switch topics a bit here. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans report on the management of pinnipeds from 2024 observed the impacts of seals and their impact on capelin, which cod also prey on. What is the current assessment of the capelin stock? Do you even know?

What is the impact on the capelin stock of pinnipeds in Atlantic Canada and the territory of the northern cod?

[Adam Burns]

Chair, I'll ask my colleague Bernard Vigneault to answer that.

[Dr. Bernard Vigneault]

Yes, capelin is critical for the health of the northern cod stock. In terms of the stock status, if you're referring to 2J3KL, the Newfoundland cod is above critical, so it's in the cautious zone, and it's being assessed annually.

For a species like capelin, predation is important, as you know, by seals, but also by all sorts of other fish, other marine mammals, like whales, and seabirds. We don't think seal predation, per se, is the main factor for the capelin stock. The model we've developed looks at other environmental factors, like the timing of the ice, for example, which has proven very important in the growth of the capelin.

The capelin is another example of a stock where we've established an environmental approach for management. The new limit reference point we've established was developed in correlation with the northern cod, so there's a level of capelin in the ecosystem that's sufficient for the growth of cod and the other predators in the marine ecosystem that rely on capelin.

[Mel Arnold, Conservative, North Okanagan—Shuswap, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

We'll now go to Mr. Kelloway for five minutes, please.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My questions are for Mr. Burns.

We hear a lot about historical attachment when folks talk about fisheries decisions and lobbying around fisheries' decisions. Just from your perspective, does the offshore fleet in Newfoundland and Labrador have a historical attachment to the fishery?

Is it fair to say that when people ask that historical arrangements be respected, it also includes offshore fleets?

[Adam Burns]

It is true, for sure, that the offshore sector had quotas in the northern cod fishery. Absolutely.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thank you for that.

Mr. Chair, at this time, I'd like to table, for the committee's record, three letters from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador asking the minister to consider the interests of the offshore fleet in reopening the northern cod fishery. These documents are already public and have been referenced by the FFAW in their own press releases. I think the committee will find them very helpful in writing its own report, while considering the question of advice the minister received on this matter.

Furthermore, at this time, I'd like to table two other documents for the committee. The first is a letter from MP Small to the minister, dated May 9, in which Mr. Small lobbied for the inclusion of the offshore fleet into their northern cod fishery via a reference to the interests of the Atlantic Groundfish Council, which, of course, represents the interests of the offshore fleet.

Additionally, I am tabling a personal email from Mr. Small sent to Minister Lebouthillier, in which he again lobbies for the offshore fleet's access to the fishery, not just by referencing the matter of historical attachment, but also referencing the fact that he included a copy to a representative of the offshore fleet, and no one from the inshore fleet was included in that email.

Also, there's reference to—

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ken McDonald]

Yes.

[Clifford Small, Conservative, Coast of Bays—Central—Notre Dame, NL]

I don't think Mr. Kelloway is putting out the full facts there.